Nine injured after fan trouble in Nice stadium

NICE (Reuters) - Nine people were injured when St Etienne fans threw seats at the local supporters at Nice’s Allianz Riviera stadium on Sunday, the French interior and sports ministries said.

An hour before the kickoff of the Ligue 1 game between Nice and Les Verts, the away fans dismantled their seats and threw them towards the opposition supporters.

Stadium stewards unsuccessfully tried to calm them down, with police then moving into the stands to remove the St Etienne fans, who numbered about one hundred.

“Manuel Valls, the ministry of Interior, and Valerie Fourneyron, the sports ministry, condemn with severity the serious incidents that occurred before the Nice v St Etienne Ligue 1 game kickoff and during which nine were injured,” the ministries said in a joint statement.